BOSTON — Neal Finnegan, Rev. Dr. Ray Hammond and Don Rodman will be honored at Catholic Charities Spring Celebration on Thursday, June 9, at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. All are long-time supporters of the agency.
"In honoring these three exemplary community leaders and their commitment to our mission, Catholic Charities seeks to exemplify the values which should animate our ministry every day -- respect for the dignity of each person, the quest for greater social and economic justice in our society and a belief that meaning in life flows from service to others," said Father J. Bryan Hehir, president of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Boston.
Currently, Finnegan is the director of Citizens Financial Capital, Inc., and the principal in Clover Capital, LLC and Data Products, USA, Inc. He is the former chairman of Citizens Bank of Massachusetts and the former director of Citizens Financial Group. Finnegan is best known as the former chief executive officer of USTrust, a $6 billion banking company headquartered in Boston, which merged into Citizens Financial Group. He is a past chair of Catholic Charities’ board of trustees and continues to serve on its board.
Pastor Hammond has a long history of involvement with the youth in the community. He is chairman and co-founder of the Ten Point Coalition — an ecumenical group of Christian clergy and lay leaders working to mobilize the greater Boston community around issues affecting black youth. He is also founder and pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain. Pastor Hammond serves as a board member for Catholic Charities.
Rodman is president of Rodman Ford, Lincoln-Mercury in Foxboro. In July 2003, the main hall at Catholic Charities’ Sunset Point Camp in Hull was named Rodman Family Hall in recognition of his fundraising efforts, which have enabled thousands of children from lower-income families to attend this residential summer camp. He is the founder of the Rodman Ride for Kids, which has raised more than $10 million for organizations serving at-risk children, including Catholic Charities. Rodman also serves as a board member for Catholic Charities.
The Spring Celebration benefits the programs and services of Catholic Charities. For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities has continued its mission of building a just and compassionate society rooted in the dignity of all people. Catholic Charities maintains more than 40 locations with services including adoption, behavioral health, child care and after-school programs, adult day health, counseling and refugee and immigration services. In 2004, Catholic Charities served more than 194,000 children, teens, families and seniors in need.
For more information on the Spring Celebration, contact Kath-erine Hargadon at 617-451-7958 or katherine_hargadon@ccab.org.